After seven years of waiting, the De Tomaso P72 has finally become a reality on the road. While the first unit delivered has already been spotted several times between Germany and Monaco, another future owner has just explained why he fell in love with this spectacular Italian supercar. And when he compares it to a Ferrari, his words are surprising, to say the least.
His name is Timothy Scheek, an entrepreneur with a passion for cars, and he already owns a rare Praga Bohema. In a video posted on YouTube, he takes advantage of a trip to Monaco to meet Norman Choi, the CEO of De Tomaso, and above all, to get a very close look at the P72 he ordered three years ago.
After three years of waiting, he finally had a P72 right in front of him
«I ordered the P72 three years ago, and now they’ve actually started production,» he explains at the beginning of his visit. Standing in front of the car, his enthusiasm is evident. To him, the P72’s proportions are exceptional, and its interior is unlike anything else. A philosophy that perfectly matches that of this supercar, of which only 72 units will be produced.
The CEO of De Tomaso showed him, in particular, the carbon-fiber monocoque, the production of which relies heavily on manual labor. According to Norman Choi, it takes approximately 1,500 to 1,600 hours of work to assemble a car. Customization also plays a major role: customers can choose from a variety of colors, exposed carbon fiber, metallic finishes, and even stripes.
«Next to it, a Ferrari looks like a Volkswagen.»
But it’s when Timothy Scheek sees the P72 driving through the streets of Monaco that his enthusiasm rises another notch. «When you see this car driving by and then you see a Ferrari, the Ferrari just looks like a Volkswagen,» he says. It’s a deliberately provocative comparison that, above all, captures what he looks for in a car. It’s not just about performance or prestige. Timothy Scheek explains that he considers the De Tomaso a true work of art and even believes its design—to his taste—is superior to what Ferrari or Pagani have to offer.
His automotive journey helps shed light on this perspective. He says that his first truly memorable car was a 300 ch Mercedes SL, after having driven a Škoda. The transition to his first Ferrari, he says, didn’t evoke such a strong emotional response. However, when he switched from a Ferrari to the radical Praga Bohema, he says he rediscovered that sense of dramatic change.
What he's looking for is the difference
That’s precisely where the De Tomaso P72 seems to have found its place in his garage. To him, his Praga represents the extreme, with its light weight, aerodynamic downforce, and radical handling. The De Tomaso plays on a different level: that of beauty and emotion. A choice consistent with the P72’s philosophy. Unveiled in 2019, it features a design inspired by 1960s race prototypes and stands in stark contrast to modern supercars. Its supercharged 5.0-liter V8, producing approximately 700 ch, is paired with an extremely rare six-speed manual transmission.
Three years after placing his order, however, Timothy Scheek still doesn’t have his car in his garage. And after finally seeing the P72 on the road, the wait seems even harder: «I can’t believe I’ll actually own one someday. I won’t believe it until I have it in my garage.»
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Ferrari's designs hardly look Italian anymore, especially on the newer models. They could just as easily be American or Japanese.
As for the interior of this De Tomaso: it reminds me of the Huayra’s!
In the end, that’s the setup that’s really popular. Then again, I imagine that if Ferrari were to use it in a simulator, it wouldn’t be optimized to set the fastest lap times on the track.